Excise policy case: No purpose will be served by keeping me in custody, Manish Sisodia tells court

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia, arrested in the Delhi excise policy case in February last year, on Tuesday told a Delhi court hearing his bail petition that no purpose will be served by keeping him in jail any further.

The former deputy chief minister of Delhi told Special Judge M K Nagpal that the investigation against him in the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam was already complete and there was no possibility of him hampering the probe or destroying evidence.

He also told the judge that he was ready to abide by any condition imposed by the court if it decides to grant him bail.

Sisodia is currently lodged in Tihar jail.

Earlier, the court had sent him to judicial custody after the ED submitted that the case was at a crucial stage and if released, the accused might hamper the investigation.

The ED's case is based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the excise policy.

The CBI had registered the case alleging that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced, and the L-1 licence was extended without the competent authority's approval.

The beneficiaries diverted 'illegal' gains to the accused and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, according to the CBI.

The CBI arrested Sisodia in February 2023 and he was later taken into custody by the ED from Tihar jail.

Sisodia resigned as the deputy chief minister of Delhi following his arrest by the CBI.